The History of Essiac
From the inception of the treatment, and after observing the recovery of Rene’s aunt Mireza, Dr. R.N. Fisher supported her in entirety. He helped her develop a lab where the compound was tested and observed on mice. Soon after, Rene was presented her first human patient outside her family. It was a man who had cancer that was consuming his mouth and throat, and he was listed as beyond any known hope by all other physicians who had examined the progression of his disease. His airways were restricted, and he was presumed to only have days or weeks left of life. After administering the treatment, the man returned home and lived four more years.
Dr. R.N. Fisher
Later, Rene was presented with a second patient who had cancer engulfing his face. The patient’s airways and blood flow were restricted by the massive tumor and he was hemorrhaging from the site of the tumor. He was given an estimated ten days to live at the time of his diagnosis. Very soon after administration of treatment, the patient’s respirations began to return to normal, and bleeding began to stop. The patient went on to live another six months, relieved of the pain he was suffering from at the time of diagnosis. After observing the results of the treatment on these patients, Rene was presented with an appreciation of her work by eight practicing physicians; Dr. R.N. Fisher, Dr. L.A. Blye, Dr. E.T. Hoidge, Dr. Charles H. Hair, Dr. S. Moore, Dr. H.T. Williams, Dr. J.C. Robert, and Dr. J.A. McInnis, who all believed in her work, and believed that this treatment would provide a remedy for some patients and prolong life and provide a better quality of life in other more advanced cases.
Photos of cancer treatments used
in the early 1900's
At this time, Rene began to treat patients free of charge presented to her by various physicians where modern medicine had failed, and she developed a name for her treatment; Essiac, her last name Caisse spelled backwards. Soon after, while in Ottawa, the Department of Health and Welfare tried to shut down her practice, citing that she was “practicing medicine without a license”, even though she was a registered nurse. She was commissioned to be arrested by Dr. W.C. Arnold. Dr. Arnold observed Rene’s professionalism, calm demeanor, sincerity and honesty; as well as the fact that she was treating patients only sent to her by physicians’ referrals. Dr. Arnold then decided to do the unthinkable mere hours earlier; he requested Rene to administer the treatment on laboratory mice under the direction of Drs. Norwich and Laced.
These experiments took place from 1928 to 1930, with mice inoculated with Rous Sarcoma. After administering her treatment of Essiac, she was able to keep the mice alive for 52 days, which was a remarkable lifespan for infected rodents with Rous Sarcoma, especially at the time. Rene went further with a second series of mice, and had success keeping them alive for 72 days.
Rene continued to treat patients at her clinic, free of charge, working 12-hour shifts and often treating 30 or more patients daily by herself. She later moved to the town of Peterborough, and she had only settled in when she was presented with a warrant for her arrest by an officer from the College of Physicians and Surgeons for malpractice. She presented the officer with letters from both the College of Physicians and Surgeons and Ministry of Health, stating they would not interfere with her practice as long as she did not charge for her services, which she had always refused to do. The officer observed the letters, and instead decided not to issue the warrant and speak to his chief and registrar at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Noble.
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Rene also took action, promptly writing to the Minister of Health, requesting a hearing. A few days later, Rene met at a hearing with Dr. Rob at the Minister of Health, as well as Drs. Cunningham and McGee of the Federal Department of National Health and Welfare. Rene was accompanied by five physicians who had been sending her patients, as well as five patients themselves who had favorable outcomes from the treatment. After observing the evidence and hearing their statements, the decision was made that Rene would be permitted to continue to treat cancer patients with Essiac, providing that the patients came to her by request of their physician and she continued to accept no monetary compensation for her treatments.
Dr. Albert Bastedo was next to hear about the legend. Bastedo had a patient who he had treated for cancer of the bowel; he sent the patient to Nurse Caisse and, after being very satisfied with the results of the patients outcome, reached out to the town council of Bracebridge to rent the British Lions Hotel on Dominion Street in Bracebridge to Rene to make into a clinic, at a lease value of $1 a month. The mayor, along with her friends, family and former patients, donated furniture and other supplies she would need for the clinic. Ironically, the clinic was directly across from the town jail. “I’ll save a cell for you,” the jail keeper said to her, and implied that she was a “quack” who was providing false hope to victims of cancer and had no knowledge of medicine or cancer, nor could treat it successfully. She replied calmly and confidently, “If it does not cure cancer, it will afford relief if the patient has sufficient vitality remaining to enable him to respond to treatment”.
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The new clinic became legendary, as the journey to the clinic was punctuated by a bridge. Directions stated to “Cross the bridge and turn left," and later this bridge became known as the "Bridge of Hope." The clinic became a clinic of vibrance; Rene said that “all the patients would seem to throw off all their depressions, fears, distress, burdens and develop a new optimistic outlook on life. As pain decreased and disappeared, they would become happy and talkative. My waiting room was the brightest spot in the clinic.” Bitterness in life, about life, toward life, left little room for hope; bitterness faded quickly on Dominion Street.
The Bridge of Hope
Patients lined up outside of her clinic; those that were too ill and came by ambulance, car or wagon were administered to right inside of their mode of transportation. While she still tended to patients while receiving no monetary compensation, vested interests in radiation and other cancer treatments by modern medicine sought to discredit her. Further, these interests attempted to discredit any cancer treatments that were not developed within their institutions, even though decades of well-funded medical careers and research had produced little to nothing in terms of a cancer remedy or cure.
Cars lined up in front of one of Rene's clinics
Although Rene had overcome all odds at this point, it did not prepare her for what came next. At 72 years old, her mother, Frizelda Caisse, after being previously diagnosed with gallstones, was further diagnosed with hepatic (liver) cancer by international specialist Dr. Roscoe Graham. Her condition was so advanced she was given days to live at this point. Distraught, Rene treated her mother for ten days, trying not to consider how important this patient was to her, being her mother. Gradually, Rene reduced her mother’s treatments to once a week as her mother improved. All signs of malignancy disappeared, and she went on to live eighteen more years, until she passed at the age of 90 from natural causes.
Frizelda Caisse, Rene's mom
As successes mounted, so did jealousies. Rene started to notice a change of attitude towards her from the doctors who had referred her patients as the patients began to incresingly distrust the modern medical community and also started to show up at her clinic without referrals. She also began to believe that doctors were being pressured by the government and medical community to distance themselves from Essiac.
At this point, Rene began to struggle financially as she did not accept any payment for her treatments; she knew at this point that a decision needed to be made. She accepted a much needed paid nursing position with Dr. J. McInnis, exclusively treating his cancer patients. During this time, she caught the attention of Dr. Frederick Banting, the Nobel Prize winner for the discovery of Insulin. He concluded that Essiac “activated the pancreatic gland” - that is, the exocrine pancreas, which is responsible for secreting digestive enzymes. This inspired Dr. Banting as a new source of treatment for pancreatic cancer. Banting read her case histories and studied photographs and x-rays of Rene’s patients. Subsequently, he stated in a letter to her on July 23, 1936, “I will not say you have a cure for cancer, but you have more evidence of a beneficial treatment for cancer than anyone in the world”. Banting offered to share his laboratory in the Banting Institute with her so she could continue to study the treatment.
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Dr. Frederick Banting, Nobel Prize Winner
for Discovery of Insulin and supporter of Essiac
However, Rene realized that under the conditions set out, this would mean she would be back to testing mice, and she would have to give up her clinic if she were to work in the laboratory; she also feared that the government would lay claim over the formula and place a ban on it. Her former patients caught wind of this, and protests began on Dominion Street, in fear that she would leave and discontinue her treatments. After agonizing over the decision, she walked away from the offer of further testing the treatment in Banting’s Institute, quoting that she was “not going to let people die while I do it”.
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Lee Building/British Lions Hotel
Inevitably, the United States heard about her discovery, and called upon Rene. Dr. Emma Carson, a US physician, visited her and noted that most of her patients had undergone surgery, radium, x-rays, etc. that had failed to be helpful with treatment and were pronounced incurable or hopeless. Dr. Benjamin Leslie Guyatt, another US physician, noted that the pain diminished as treatment proceeded. He stated “the relief from pain is a notable feature, as pain in these cases is very difficult to control.” He also noted that many other cancers of various origins, diagnosed by reputable physicians and surgeons had disappeared, organs had returned to normal activity; and hemorrhage was rapidly brought under control in many complex cases.
By 1937, the evidence of the effectiveness of Essiac was so overwhelming that a petition circulated by patients and doctors in the US had garnered 17,000 signatures. In Chicago, Dr. Clifford Barbourka was determined to bring Rene to the Windy City and have her meet with Dr John Wolfer of the Alumni Association of the medical department at North Western University.
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One of the many petitions in support of Essiac as a cancer treatment
The files of the most hopeless cases had found their way to Dr. Wolfer, and he fully expected her to turn down the opportunity after reading their case histories. Instead, she turned to him and asked “When would you like me to start, Doctor?” She began to treat the patients with Essiac under the observation of five doctors every Thursday. The treatments lasted for a year and a half as she traveled back and forth from Canada to the US.
The results were so convincing that Dr Barbourka offered to open a clinic for her at the Pasavant Institute in Chicago under the condition she would remain solely in the United States. She refused, insisting she would not abandon her patients in Canada under any circumstances.
Essiac Herbal Powder & Vegetable Capsules
“Curing resides within the patient, the function of medicine is merely to activate this process and lend it support”
Dr. Bernard Lown, professor of Cardiology at Harvard University and inventor of the cardiac defibrillator
Not all were convinced of Essiac's effectiveness; Dr. Richard Leonardo of Rochester, New York, argued that she did not have any remedy, stating that while she was doing the patients good it was her personality and the hope she offered them that was helping them. He frowned upon Dr. Bernard Lown, professor of Cardiology at Harvard University's statement, “Curing resides within the patient, the function of medicine is merely to activate this process and lend it support,” believing that this reduced cures to being strictly psychological. However, Rene agreed with the Harvard professor, acknowledging that a patient’s mindset had a significant influence on their treatment outcome. It was something she saw in the brightness of her clinic; the positivity emanating within it and within her and her cheerful demeanor that truly helped assist patient outcomes.
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She invited Dr. Leonardo to join her in action in the treatment room. When he did, he saw cases far advanced in the healing process than those he had consulted with previously. He watched her labor and comfort the patients until late hours in the evening. He was particularly astounded by the outcome of one patient, Mrs. Annie Bonner, who had a cancerous mass growing up her right arm which had been aggravated by x-ray treatment; she was deemed inoperable as it had metastasized to her organs, and her arm was swollen twice the size and had signs of necrosis. She visited Rene’s clinic in Bracebridge and after only a few treatments began to feel better, her arm began to improve, and she regained her appetite as she had lost considerable weight during her previous treatments. After 60 treatments with Essiac, she underwent a series of x-rays in which there was no sign of the growth.
Essiac Vegetable Capsules
“It proved itself superior in every aspect to all else”
Dr. Emma Carson's statement on Essiac treatment
Rene Caisse Lane in Bracebridge, Canada
At this time, a copy of the 1937 petition with 17,000 signatures was presented to the Premier of Ontario, Mitchell Hepburn. He had a commitment, given his re-election, to pass a bill in the legislature that would grant Rene a license to continue her treatments. Hepburn pronounced “the onus is now on the medical profession. They must now either prove or disprove Miss Caisse’s claims, and I don’t believe they can disprove them”.
Later, In August of 1937, Dr. Emma Carson of Los Angeles traveled to Ontario to meet Rene and see her clinics and treatments for herself. Dr. Carson was heavily inspired by what she found, stating that she “had never before seen or been in any manner associated with such a remarkably cheerful or sympathetic clinic, regardless of size, location or number of persons; or attended a more peaceful, sympathetic clinic anywhere”. Carson had planned to stay 12 hours, but instead remained for 24 days and studied the results of 40 patients. She had noted that patients, soon after their first round of treatment with Essiac, were voluntarily abandoning narcotics and sedatives their physicians had prescribed. She concluded that Essiac was the most successful remedy for cancer treatment and pain at the time. “It proved itself superior in every aspect to all else”, she had stated.
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Finally; Election Day rolled around in Ontario and Hepburn won the election. However, around this time, Rene faced a deeply painful and distressing situation at her clinic. One of her patients, Mrs. Gilrouth, arrived in poor health, suffering from an aneurysm that could rupture at any moment, along with an ulcer that required treatment. Tragically, Mrs. Gilrouth passed away at the clinic, leaving Rene and her other patients devastated and deeply concerned. René endured intense emotional turmoil until Mrs. Gilrouth’s pathology report was released, all while facing harsh criticism from governing bodies who held her responsible for the death. Finally, the report revealed that clots were found in the pulmonary artery, and the cause of death was determined to be a pulmonary embolism. Rene was cleared of any responsibility.
She regained her optimism and support from others. In March 1938, the Honorable Member of the Legislature, Frank Kelly, introduced a bill to authorize Rene to treat cancer in Ontario, backed by the signatures of 55,000 patients and doctors. On the day of the final decision, Rene was accompanied at the Parliament Building by three hundred patients, the Mayor of Bracebridge as well as many prominent citizens.
On that day, the Minister of Health, Harold J. Kirby, announced plans to introduce legislation to create a Cancer Commission for the Investigation of Remedies for Cancer. This commission would serve as a forum to properly evaluate the pros and cons of Essiac, and it would be the only body authorized to pass judgment on Rene Caisse’s treatment. However, this development became more of a hindrance than a help to Rene. The government’s involvement, along with pressure on the medical community, led doctors to stop providing written cancer diagnoses, offering them only verbally. Without a written diagnosis from a licensed MD, Rene was unable to perform her treatments, significantly obstructing her work.
In April of 1938, despite strong opposition from doctors and patients, Kirby pushed forward the bill despite great opposition from doctors and patients alike and established the Commission for the Investigation of Remedies for Cancer, even though it was rejected by the Private Bills Committee. The bill was passed by the House and became law June 1, 1938, and became known as the Kirby Law.
One of Rene's original VitaMix blenders used to make Essiac
Rene's original dried sheep sorrel herb
When the Cancer Commission’s mission statement became public, it included a provision that anyone treating cancer submit the formula to the Commission. Realizing this would mark the end of her treatments, Rene made the difficult decision to return to Bracebridge and close her clinic at the end of May. While her patients understood her decision, they quickly voiced their opposition.
“It means my life!” one patient wrote, pleading with the Minister of Health to reopen the clinic. Letters poured into Premier Mitchell Hepburn's office. Hepburn reaffirmed again his support for Nurse Caisse and included Health Minister Kirby in his request to reopen the clinic and assured Rene that she would not be prosecuted under the Kirby Law.
In anticipation of this, a delegation arrived in Bracebridge in early 1939 to study the files of Rene’s treated patients and gather personal testimonies. All around, people gathered to support her and her cause. 387 of her patients were at her side the day of the trial. Witnesses were called for questioning one by one. The courts tried various tactics to refute the treatment; up to and including questioning the validity of the initial diagnoses. This only fueled the fire, and caused many physicians to step forward in support of their abilities as they had been the ones to make the initial diagnosis. It came to the point where the politicians got desperate; one Chairman, Justice J.G. Gillanders, even stated “if I made a favorable comment and put my signature to it, and it was found to be pure water and the effects were purely mental, I would look pretty silly; would I not?”
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Finally, the verdict was reached by Commissioner Valin. “We want to continue this investigation with some control in the future of cases which she will treat - that they will be seen by some member or representative of this Commission, and a complete diagnosis and examination done, and then follow the cases and after a certain time make a report. We feel we should like to pursue our observations further, and that is the reason we want the formula.”
However, Rene refused to concede; she firmly stated “until the medical profession will admit from the cases I have treated that my treatment has merit, I will not give up the formula. When they do that, I will be willing to give my treatment to the world”. Reflecting on the situation, she remarked that it felt as though “the lone thinker had become so absorbed and interested in the results obtained; and they had suddenly awakened to the fact that they had been exploited of everything they thought they possessed.” She later described it as “one of the greatest farces ever perpetrated in the history of man”.
After the commission hearing had passed, Rene requested a new hearing from the Registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons. In response, they warned her that if she continued treating patients, they would take her to court.
One of Rene Caisse's memorials in Canada
“until the medical profession will admit from the cases I have treated that my treatment has merit, I will not give up the formula. When they do that, I will be willing to give my treatment to the world”
Rene Caisse and her determination to protect the Essiac formula from corruption
In the months of following the Cancer Commission’s published report, obtaining written diagnoses from doctors for patients seeking Rene’s treatments was almost impossible, and she found herself becoming increasingly isolated and ostracized by society. While the Kirby Bill was never enforced against her, she lived in constant fear of charges and imprisonment.
On February 23rd, 1941, Rene heard the tragic news that Dr. Banting, who was en route to England carrying his new invention to prevent pilots from blacking out, had crashed in Newfoundland. In his final few hours, aware of his impending death, Dr. Banting dictated medical notes non-stop, a gesture that deeply moved the medical community.
Photo of Rene in front of her signed petitions
Since 1922, Rene had been battling to gain acceptance for Essiac. In the span of four years, Canada managed to send 730,625 men to war while during the same period, America lost 672,000 people to cancer. The physician poet, John McCrae, once wrote “It will be in your power everyday to store up for yourselves treasures that will come back to you in consciousness of duty well done…things that, having given away freely, you yet possess.” This sentiment echoed the essence of Rene's journey and her relentless struggle against the government, medical establishment and regulatory agencies.
As she aged, the immense stress and took its toll, leading Rene into a downward spiral. She spiraled downwards into a nervous breakdown; she became Isolated and alone, and many believed her breakdown was the result of a drastic shift from the chaos of her work to a life of isolation and anonymity. Adding to her despair, her husband Charles McGaughey died of pneumonia at the age of 57. Following his death, Rene decided to return to live among her friends in Bracebridge.
Rene receiving government award
Later, Rene faced one final challenge; the First Lady of Argentina, Evita Peron, who was battling cancer, sought out Rene and had come to Duluth, Michigan, hoping Essiac could provide a cure. Evita, a powerful and influential figure in South America, was nearly bankrupting the government with her financial generosity toward the unemployed and hungry. Despite the potential for fame and power, Rene chose not to meet with Evita. Rene had no interest in financial gain or notoriety and was determined to keep Essiac's formula confidential to prevent its exploitation.
When critics came and questioned her decision, Rene always responded the same “I have always been and am still willing to turn over my formula to the medical association anytime that they will assure me that it will be used to help suffering humanity, and furthermore that it will not be shelved in favor of present day methods of treatments.”
“I have always been and am still willing to turn over my formula to the medical association anytime that they will assure me that it will be used to help suffering humanity, and furthermore that it will not be shelved in favor of present day methods of treatments.”
Rene Caisse
Rene Caisse memorial
Despite this, she continued treating patients at her home. Eventually, Dr. McPhedran of the College of Physicians and Surgeons ordered her to stop treating patients; and when she refused, she was arrested. Though she was not prosecuted, she remained under surveillance and was forced turn her patients away.
However, in 1959, Rene was invited to bring her formula to Brusch Medical Center in Cambridge to conduct experiments on mice, under the supervision of Dr. Charles Brusch, who appointed 18 doctors to oversee the experiments. Dr. Brusch, renowned as John F. Kennedy’s personal physician, concluded within three months “clinically on patients suffering from pathologically proven cancer, it reduces pain and causes a recession in the growth; patients have gained weight and shown an improvement in their general health”. However, they stopped short of calling it a cure. Dr. Brusch, who later credited Essiac for his own cancer remission, deeply regretted that Kennedy was assassinated before he could lend his influence to promote Essiac within the medical community.
In a final attempt to keep the formula from falling into the wrong hands, René disposed of 27,000 treatments of Essiac and retreated from public view. However, in 1977, she was approached by the Resperin Corporation of Toronto which made her an offer for the formula. As she neared 90 years old, Rene decided to relinquish the formula and continue the Essiac legacy, believing that Resperin met all the requirements to make Essiac accessible and inexpensive to all. In October, 1977 she signed over the proprietary rights to the formula for the grand sum of $1.
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Rene passed away December 26th, 1978; the day after Christmas Day, at the age of 91.
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Mary McPherson with Bridge of Hope book
After Rene’s passing, Mary McPherson took over the task of producing Essiac for Resperin; and, in 1980, Resperin received approval and began clinical studies on Essiac. However, as Rene had experienced, the challenges continued; in 1982, the Canadian government unexpectedly ordered the studies halted and stopped the research on the treatment.
Research remained halted until 1993, when T.P. Maloney and his brother Kevin acquired rights to Essiac and promised to continue its research and promotion. Maloney met multiple times with McPherson between 1994-2000 to learn about Essiac’s formulation and how to produce it correctly. Maloney also donates $250,000 to the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine during this time, and in 2004, the next study on Essiac is published from Purdue University, “Inhibition of Prostate Cancer Cell proliferation using Essiac”.
Sadly, Mary McPherson passed away in 2006 at 92 years old, but the legacy continues. In 2007, the Essiac corporation helps fund the Rene Caisse Memorial Theatre in Bracebridge, and the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine publishes “In Vitro Analysis of the Herbal Compound Essiac”, further promoting the beneficial effects of the treatment. And in 2010, University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Hospital publish “Spontaneous regression in advanced non-small cell lung cancer”, demonstrating even further beneficial effects on cancer in modern day.
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Lucille Perreault and Larry Poirier, the next and current generation of Essiac's legacy
In 2015, T.P. Maloney sadly passed away, and Kevin Maloney continued the legacy until 2019 when he passes it along to a new family to continue its research and advancement. And in 2021, research continues with a study published by Whittier College of California, “Investigation of the in vivo and in vitro effects of Essiac liquid herbal extract on health and cancer” testing on 5 cancer cell lines (breast, prostate, myeloma, lymphoma and leukemia). Essiac also launches Essiac Gold with AHCC, which has since been proven effective in over 30 human clinical trials. Rene’s Naturals is also created in 2021 to market within the United States, and gets USDA organic certification for Essiac Daily Drops.
Essiac herbal extract
And, most recently in 2024, the Patients Guide to Essiac was released, containing 165 pages of research and available for free download at Essiac.com; proving this is just the beginning of many more years of research to come.
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Rene Caisse’s legacy endures today, with Essiac remaining faithful to the precise 4-herb ratios she perfected over 40 years. Essiac remains a family-owned company, deeply committed to preserving and spreading Rene Caisse's message and her original vision. We continue to honor her legacy, ensuring that her dedication to natural healing reaches those who need it most.